Customer service – from stress point to strategic asset
This is part 2 of our blog series Break Down Silos with Marketing Automation. Read the introduction here -and part 1 here.
It should be obvious: customer service and Marketing Automation bring out the best in each other. And yet, this combo is often overlooked. In many organizations, customer service is still an isolated function – a place where insights go to die. Kind of like Vegas: what happens in customer service stays in customer service.
But the truth is: customer service often knows the most about the customer. They deal with questions, frustrations and expectations – every single day, in every stage of the customer journey:
- When the customer is evaluating a solution
- When something isn’t working
- When they’re trying to get started
- When they need support, guidance or follow-up
Customer service is a valuable touchpoint – and a stretched resource. That’s why there’s both insight value and efficiency gains to be had when Marketing Automation and customer service work together.
Three real-life examples:
”A ‘hello’ – backed by the right data"
Membership organization with a broad age range
In an organization with members of all ages, many older members preferred picking up the phone instead of navigating digital self-service. By surfacing smart insights in the CRM – like churn risk, upgrade opportunities or recent service usage – customer service agents could instantly steer the conversation in the right direction.
The result?
- Members felt seen.
- Churn dropped.
- Upsell increased.
"From backlog to business value "
Industrial company with limited customer service resources
Customer service was drowning in tickets and struggling to prioritize. Every request was treated the same – whether it was a basic question or a high-value client.
By combining Marketing Automation with better segmentation and digital self-service options, the company could reduce pressure from simple cases, automatically prioritize more important customers, and tailor the experience based on business value.
The result?
- Shorter response times
- Happier customers
- More efficient resource use
"From frustration to timing"
Airline with recurring check-in issues
Too heavy, too large, too late – baggage problems consumed huge amounts of time and caused frustration at check-in. The staff was often under pressure, leading to delays and unhappy travelers.
The solution? An automated SMS reminder was sent to travelers 24 hours before departure – with clear baggage rules, personalized to their booking and flight.
The result?
- Fewer disputes
- Less stress for staff
- More on-time departures
- Happier passengers
They listen every day – but who listens to them?
When customer service and Marketing Automation work together, the value goes both ways. Customer service brings valuable insights that make communication smarter – and automation helps lighten the load where it’s needed most.
This isn’t just about efficiency.
It’s about turning a too-often underused function into something truly strategic.
In the next part of the series, we’ll look at marketing’s role – and how automation can transform the marketing team "from campaign machine to insight engine".
Follow us on Linkedin to get part 3 straight in your feed.
